Spirit Song
by nerre
Summary: She remembered little of her own mother; an aspect that she felt she might, unfortunately, share with her own young ones. A series of stories about Native America. My first story.
1. Chapter 1

_There is fear_

_In the longing for loneliness_

_When gathered with friends,_

_And longing to be alone._

_Iyaiya-yaya!_

_There is joy_

_In feeling the summer_

_Come to the great world,_

_And watching the sun_

_Follow its ancient way._

_Iyaiya-yaya!_

_There is fear_

_In feeling the winter_

_Come to the great world,_

_And watching the moon_

_Now half-moon, now full,_

_Follow its ancient way._

_Iyaiya-yaya!_

_Where is all this tending?_

_I wish I were far to the eastward._

_And yet I shall never again_

_Meet with my kinsmen._

_Iyaiya-yaya!_

_-Inuit_

She remembered little of her own mother; an aspect that she felt she might, unfortunately, share with her own young ones. Boys. Twin boys. One with eyes of the prettiest gem and the other eyes of the most flawless summer sky. She knew, could _feel,_ that the were just like her from the moment they were born. Not in image, but in being. In terms of appearance, they were unlike anything she had ever seen. They both had milky-white skin, and their hair was also so vastly different from the fine, straight black and dark brown she was so used to seeing; no, even for ones so young, the both of them had such bright yellow hair; one of them, the one with gemstone eyes, had softly curling hair seemingly made of woven silver, while the other, his brother, had strands of the sun, of the finest riches his lands had to offer.

Because they were to be his lands, she knew. Their lands. Maybe not now, but eventually. She knew that in nature there could not be life without death, that there has to be balance; had wondered for the longest time why her mother couldn't share the lands with her, but now she knew. She represented her people. The people who live on these lands now, just as her mother represented the people who made it possible for her and her younger sisters in the southern lands to live here now, the people who made the long journey over the ice from the old worlds. And just as her birth brought about a new age for this part of the world, she knew that theirs would, as well.

If appearance was anything to go by in this case, she assumed that those destined to inherit these lands along with her two boys were to have the same fair qualities. There were no others in the world that she had ever come across in her many years of life that looked quite like these two, however, which made her wonder where in the world these mysterious creatures must be coming from.

Whatever the case may be, she realized that their birth meant that their people were on their way, that the strangers' journeys had begun, that times were changing. It was fate, and it was now unstoppable.

Author's Notes:

_It really is interesting what one is inspired to write at… 3 AM…_

_So, ah, I must ask that you readers be as patient with me as possible. This is my first story and I've never really written anything just for the sake of writing. The only things I've ever really written were school assignments. This is basically just my head-canon for this character and what happened before the settlers came along written out for all to see._

_Until now, I've just been a creepy, stalker-ish lurker in this little corner of the interwebz, so I don't really know how this works, but, uh, review? Comment? Tell me it's not quite as horrible as I feel like it is? You decide._

_I do think that I will continue with this, but when the next update would be is another matter, entirely._

_Oh, goodness, my notes were almost as long as the prologue…_

_Like I said, please be patient with me…_

_-scampers off-_


	2. Chapter 2

At some point along the way, the three of them had worked out a sort of system. While she would work, the boys would follow along for most of the day, the golden one for a bit longer than the silver one, as he tended to have a bit more energy than his brother. When they both did eventually tire, the two would find a good place in the village to lie down and curl up against each other. And it was like this that she would always find them at the end of the day, each of their small arms snaked around the others back and strands of hair mixing into a silvery-gold blend.

Then the time always came when they would have to move on, as she always had, even before the twins. They would move from tribe to tribe, making their way across vast expanses of land because if she expected to represent it all as well as all of its people, she had to see it all, experience every part of it. And so they would move.

She knew the journeys between tribes must be hard on the boys but not once did they complain, as if even at their young age, they could already understand the importance of these trips. They would follow silently at her sides, small fingers each grasping a hand, small eyes trained on the ground ahead and occasionally at new-found wildlife along the way.

She had many names, a different one wherever she went, whoever she spoke with. To some, she was known as Maka, to others, Catori or Awenasa or Onatah. To her sisters, she was Shadi, and to her boys, she was Shima. The twins also had many names, but to her, they would always be Muraco, for the silver one, and Etu for the golden one.

When they had finally made it to the southwestern regions of her territory, where her seemingly endless lands finally did end, she saw a wonderfully familiar figure waiting there for them.

Author's Notes:

_mmm, I don't think I like this one as much..._

_uh, don't really have very much to say this time, so have some translations:_

Maka- Sioux name meaning "Earth"

Catori- Hopi name meaning "Spirit"

Awenasa- Cherokee name meaning "My Home"

Onatah- Iroquois name meaning "Of the Earth"

Shadi- Navajo for "older sister"

Shima- Navajo for "mother"

_told ya she has a lot of names, and that's not even all of them~_

_now for the boys' names:_

Muraco- "White Moon"

Etu- "Sun"

_and ugh, why do I have such an inability to write more than a couple short paragraphs?_


	3. Chapter 3

Her sister told her of the white men. She had said that they landed on an island, one of her sister's, to the southeast, and that she felt that there were more on the way.

Shideezhi had also told her of her own children, taking notice of Muraco and Etu. She had a far greater amount of children at this point, and if her word was anything to go by, which it typically was, so did their youngest sister in the southernmost lands. She had been shocked, though, by their appearances, saying that her own children looked almost like her people, with just slightly paler skin. And so, she had been astonished as well as fascinated with the twins' pale skin and hair and bright eyes, reminding their mother of her own initial reaction to the two.

They eventually said their goodbyes and turned back. Now all she could do was continue on her way and await the inevitable.

Taking a small break from their journey to the north again, she sat watching the boys, Muraco drawing patterns and figures on the ground while Etu leaned against his brother, watching the world around him. A head of golden hair shot up as a flash of movement above them caught his eye. He staggered to his feet like a newborn fawn and she laughed fondly to herself as he then turned to her and pointed up to the great majestic bird drifting along in the cloudless sky. The beast was all brown with a shock of white here and there, most notably covering its entire head like that of a wise old man.

The boy gave his own laugh in response and turned back towards the sky, spreading his arms wide and raising himself to his toes. She smiled, walking up behind him and lifting him under his arms, spinning him him a circle and holding him securely in her arms before planting a kiss on his forehead. She looked back down towards Muraco as Etu laughed wholeheartedly in her arms. The boy on the ground had obviously grown tired, eyes drooping and struggling to stay open. She smiled down at him and scooped him up as she placed Etu back on his feet, who seemed to get the message and grabbed her hand as they began walking north once more.

When they had reached one of the more northern tribes, they had exchanged their light prairie clothing for heavier hides and furs in order to prepare for a cold winter.

The boys hadn't seen much of snow in their short lives, having spent much of the last few years navigating the warmer regions of their territories until they were strong enough to face a real winter in the north. So when soft white snowflakes began to fall from a gray sky, the two looked up curiously. Etu laughed as merrily as ever while a soft smile graced Muraco's lips. The two played and ran and caught snowflakes in their hands as it began to build up around their feet. Surprisingly, Etu was the one to go scampering back to the warmth of the huts sooner than Muraco, who seemed perfectly at home in the frigid air. The boy looked to the sky, visible breath twisting into the air like smoke, while the snow fell in a silent storm around him.

Author's Notes:

_So, ah, I'm slightly worried that I hadn't made it all that clear in the last chapter, but Muraco is Canada and Etu is America. Just, ya know, in case you had a hard time deciphering my jumbled thoughts. Oh, and I should probably mention that, though it may not seem like it (and I probably should've planned this all out a bit better), at this point it's been probably about a decade or so since the boys were born (though being what they are and all, they still look like toddlers and don't speak very much), as they spend a while in each place that they go to (a few months to a year), and a while since she talked to her sister, since they've been traveling all this time and all that. So that means the settlers and some European countries will be coming into the picture soon. And I've already given away too much so I'm just gonna stop._


	4. Chapter 4

They were here, in her lands. She could feel it. Had felt it since the moment their heavy boots had set foot on her shores. She felt as if they were surrounding her, coming from every possible direction. Her nightmares became more frequent, laying out a clear picture of what would become of her, her people, and those two precious boys in the next few decades, so clear that she would wake up with a gasp of air and a sheen of sweat before calming herself as much as possible and curling herself protectively around her peacefully sleeping boys.

They left that tribe on a sunny summer morning, moving again after a good number of years spent in the icy northern lands. This time they would be going east, to the great waters, then south again along the coast. She had to know what had become of her people on the eastern coasts in her absence.

-x-x-x-

The boys had not grown much in their many decades of existence. They still stood on wobbly feet, but could walk, nonetheless. Etu, in particular, seemed unusually strong for his apparent age. On more than one occasion she recalled coming across the small child lifting anything from troublesome rocks out of gardens to rather _large_ animals he would find in the forests. Muraco, on the other hand, was just about the exact polar opposite of his brother, preferring to sit quietly at her side on peaceful afternoons or help plant corn in the fields. But no matter how different they were, whenever they were together, she had noticed, they had a fascinating balancing effect on one another, almost as if one wasn't complete without the other.

She could feel herself becoming more and more attached to the two of them each and every day. It was a bittersweet feeling, if her premonitions had any sort of truth to them. She couldn't imagine what she would do without them. Ever since they were born, they had had a sort of gravitational effect on everyone they met. They were accepted by all the tribes they traveled to and easily wove themselves into every different culture they encountered. They also had this same effect on her, so discreetly and effortlessly fitting themselves into her life to a point where it would be unthinkable to live without them.

Just as one was incomplete without the other, she knew she would be completely heartbroken were she separated from her boys. And as she watched the two play with smiles on their faces – one bright and shining, the other shy and sweet – she was also well aware that she would do whatever it took to defend them, even if it cost her her life.

-x-x-x-

It was many years later when they reached a great river separating the northern land from the southern, stopping there and staying with an Algonquin tribe near the river.

Very early one morning, she awoke with an instinctive feeling swimming through her head. Knowing exactly what it was, she turned to glance at the sleeping twins, laying a soft kiss on each of their foreheads before leaving them with her people and walking out into the first hints of sunlight.

-x-x-x-

_Author's Notes:_

_Buh._

_First off, I'd just like to say I'M SO SORRY D: This took me absolutely forever and it's not even remotely good. This is probably my least favorite one yet :c_

_But as to why it took so long: first I got horrible writer's block, so I went back and changed half of it, then I got sick for a week and a half, then I came back to it afterward and realized I have no clue where I'm going with this, so I did some research, which took forever, then got writer's block again. But I finally decided to sit down and write tonight and FINALLY got something done!_

_Buh._

_As always, reviews are precious, beautiful, much appreciated, glorious forms of love and I never get tired of reading them, they really make my day~ c:_

_Oh and I'll try to make the next one a little more up to par since it's an important chapter and all (OH DID YOU LIKE THAT CLIFFHANGER BY THE WAY?)_

_I'm such an ass._


	5. Chapter 5

She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She knew exactly what she had to do. After taking a look back at where she left Muraco and Etu, she finally forced her eyes away and continued out of the village and into the surrounding forest.

She ran for a good amount of time, moving nimbly through the trees and over their roots with ease, when suddenly, there was a parting of the trees in the distance, where the forest gave way to the water. She slowed her pace and tread carefully until she was close enough to hear the sound of water lapping on the shore. That's when she saw it.

The biggest creature she had ever seen in her many years of life, sitting serenely atop the deep water, still a ways off in the distance. It was brown in color with great white wings and a pointed snout. From what she saw, it didn't appear to have any fins or feet, but they could still be under the water.

In her fascination of the great beast, she failed to notice the small canoes currently making their way towards the sandy beach until voices – human voices, though not like any she'd heard before – filtered into her thoughts. Sinking lower to the ground, she turned her attention to the small canoes.

She watched until they arrived at the shore and one man from each canoe jumped out and pulled it onto the sand, where the rest – some of whom were dressed differently than the others, one especially (she had a strange feeling about that one) – jumped out and onto the beach. There was silence among the men as they observed their surroundings – looks of awe on each face.

While they were in awe of her land, she was in awe of them – how different they were. Besides the twins, she had never seen anyone like them; they even had all sorts of colors! Some of them had eyes like grass, others eyes like water, and the rest had more earthen-colors, like the soil and the trees. And their hair! She saw the most interesting shades of brown, black and even gold and orange-red. There was one person in particular that caught her attention though, for some reason. He looked just like the others, for the most part – pale skin, ocean-eyes, sunny hair tied back with a ribbon – but there was something... more to him, she could tell.

This one said something indistinguishable to the others in, from what she could hear of it, a language unlike any of her peoples', before walking slowly towards the forest. She froze as she noticed him nearing her hiding spot and began to sneak back into the trees before he could notice here there.

She followed a safe distance from him while he looked around the forest with a thoughtful look on his face. She watched his face, being able to see its colors more clearly now that she was closer. He was very similar to Etu in appearance, though he did look a bit like Muraco, as well, mostly the long, silky hair. His hair was gold, but not the same gold as Etu's, whose gold reflected the sun and seemed to shine even brighter, and though his eyes were also the same color, his were the color of the salty ocean, while Etu's were of a flawless summer sky.

She continued along, lost in her thoughts until she was shocked by a sharp _snap_ and realized too late that it had come from beneath her own foot. They both halted at the sound and she whipped her head up as he sighed and rubbed his forehead, lethargically turning to face her.

"_Jacques, mon gar__ç__on, que voulez-vous maintena-_"

He froze. His mouth hung open mid-sentence and his eyes went wide. Neither one of them moved, each one barely breathing and not daring to make a sound as they stared wide-eyed at one another. She thought she might have heard him softly whisper, "_Qu'est-ce...?"_

Once she finally got her wits about her, she turned on her heel, ready to race away, but apparently her disoriented mind didn't allow her feet to move fast enough.

"_Attends!_" He shouted and caught her arm at the wrist, still staring at her with wide blue eyes and a gaping mouth. She looked back at him frantically and he seemed to be at a loss for words.

He seemed to sense it as well, that she was like him. She had felt it as soon as she'd seen him. As he stared in her eyes he seemed to understand what, exactly, she was.

They were both shocked out of this trance when they heard a voice from the direction of the shore – a younger voice – headed their way. "_Francis?_" His head snapped up towards the voice and his grip loosened on her wrist. Seeing her opportunity, she yanked her arm free and turned and ran. "_Francis? O__ù__ê__tes-vous?"_ He seemed torn; he wanted to follow after her and saw his chances of doing that slipping away as he remembered he shouldn't travel too far from the group. "_Francis!" _The young man who had been calling him finally caught up only to see him staring off into the woods. "_Qu'est qui ne va pas?" _The boy asked looking in the direction he was staring and not seeing anything. He shrugged and pulled the man by the elbow, "_Francis, revenons." _He turned away and followed reluctantly.

-x-x-x-

_Author's notes:_

_Yay, a long chapter (well, long for me anyway...). So, ah, I think the first thing I should say is, um, I don't speak French. At all. So... Yeah. Here's what all of that is _supposed_ to mean, in case I messed it all up horribly:_

_Jacques, mon garçon, que voulez-vous maintenant? = _Jacques, my boy, what do you want now? _(this is the sentence he didn't finish)_

_Qu'est-ce...? = _What in the world...?

_Attends! = _Wait!

_Francis? O__ù__ê__tes-vous? = _Francis? Where are you?

_Qu'est qui ne va pas? = _What's wrong?

_Francis, revenons. = _Francis, let's go back.

_So I think that's all the mutilated French. I don't have much to write about this one except that the Jacques that France (oh I hope you all knew I was referring to France there, I feel I made it _very_ obvious) was referring to is Jacques Cartier, a French explorer whose first voyage was around the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Oh, and the big creature with white wings from the beginning is the French ship, in case you didn't get that part. So I hope this was satisfactory and I will work on getting the next part done soon!_

_As always reviews make me very happy and non-reviews make me very sad._


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